Improved dredging-machine



,PATENT @trium JOHN DU sois, or wiLLiiiiisronr, PENNSYLVANIA.

uvisnoven Datanews@nmol-HNE.v

Speeileation forming part of Letters Patent N0. SL076, dated august 1B,i864.

Plate I, Figure l, represents a side elevation 'of the hull of a.dredging-secu' with the iin-v proved machinery for dredging, connectedalso to the niud-scow, and the feedchain way with all of theattaclinieiitsready for use. Fig. 2 shows a front end 4View of the scowand the adjustable verticalfranie von which the endless chain is workedto dig-"and elevate the mud vand gravel. Fig.` 3 is an end view of thetrack-frame with the apparatus for raising-or forcing down the props.attached to the railroad on the deck ofthe niud-scow, to sustain theweight 'running over; the same.

with the apparatus for loosening the'liinged sides to let the in ud out.Figs. Sand G show endviews ofthe grouser-boats,with a broken L sectionin Fig.` 5, showing the apparatus for raising or forcing down thegronsers; also their connecting-frame timbers in broken-off sections.Plate IIrepresents the plan or top view ot' the 4dredging-scow-with vitsmachinery complete as .attached tothe mud-scow, the feedehain guides,and the grouserLboats with their connectingltimbers.

The object of my invention is to furnish a dredging-machine that will dothe labor at less --cost and at much greater speed, and with pei-, feetuniformity to any desired depth, which cannot be done conveniently orwith any certainty by the machines nowin use, which'requireto be heldsecurely in one position,with its grousers at the place Vwhere it isused, and 'while .in use, it being operated with a long swinging arm, onthe end of which is attached the scoop for taking out the mud' and earthand depositing it onv a scow or ,l any desired place within its reach,rendering it slow and difficult in its operation, andnot well calculatedfor dredging to a uniform depth, while, on the contrary, my machine isnot anchored tovany given spot, but when adjusted to dredge Fi g. 4shows an en d sectional view of the inud-scow N to a given depth itmoves at a regular speed,

according to the depth it is cutting, the whole length of the feed-chainand the platform by Which it is guided,wvhicli may be made to any lengthdesired. At each end of the platform is attached a-grouser-boat with afeed-chain attached, land extending from boat to boat, the grouser-boatsbeing of sufficient length to make any given number of changes beforedrawing the grousers;

To enable others to construct 'my new apparatus and machine, and toreadily understand iny new process of operationfor dredging -witlil it,I will describe it more in detail, referring to the drawings, and totlie letters marked thereon. l

rlfhe same' letters indicate the like parts in all of the figures.`

` I make the hull or scow A. in the usual forni lfor such purposes andof the required diinen- -sions for erecting and supporting the neces`sary mechanism for digging, raising, and depositing the n iud or earthon a 1nud-scow,B,

the essential parts of my apparatus'ior dredg ing. i

The boilers, steam-engine, and other niachinery for working vthe wholeapparatus (whicli'i's not necessary to be shown inthe drawings) I placein the bottom of the boat or .SGOW A in such a position as to balancethe and raising mechanism, which is constructed 1D down through theopening F, and is pro' vided with one or more vertical rack-bars,

c c, on each side, with ratchets f j, connected to 'rock-shafts e e,which are coupled together'by a connecting-rod, g, so as tobe .operatedbycne lever, h,. for lowering the frame Eand'gaging the diggingapparatus io any desired depth.

preparedfor the purpose, which makes one oi' machinery for digging,raising, and removing" The frame E is fitted to slide in theA frames DThe digging and lelevating apparatus con` sists of two endless chains, CC, 'passing over and under pulleys H H, on which chains() C are secureda series of two or 'more scoops or buckets, G, and also hooked. prongslii, placed in advance of each bucket, so as to break. or loosen up themnd or earth before the scoop takes hold of it to lift it out of thewater. y

The motion and power 'for working the dredging apparatus above describedis communicated by lan endless chain-belt, I, fitted to and working uponnotched pulleys K K on the shaft .land the driving-shaft L, to which thepower is communicated from the engine underneath, the shaft L beingsupported in a frame, M, on the deck of the boat A.

On the'front face side of the vertical frametimber D are two substantialtimbers, N N, framed in so as to extend out horizontally over the wholelength of themud-scow B, they beingsupported by long braces lm.,extending from the farther portion of the horizontal timbers N to thetop of the vertical post of the frame D and brace-timbers n to the footof the frame 'M on both sides.

On the outsidel of the braces m n are stayrods oi' iron lr, passingthrough the loops or staplesl l at vor near the top of the frames l),they being firmlysecnrcd by bolts o o in the loops at their ends. areiron raiis l l?, which form the track for the mud-car O to rnn onV to'convey the contents from the dredging apparatus to the -variousapartments of the mud-scow B after it is depositedin the car 0 from thescoops G, which are providedwith hinged bottoms y', so that when thescoop or buckets G are elevated above the' track p, and the car O is runback under thebncket, the cam q trips thehooksb Z and lets the bottom f/fall down and depositits contents in the ear 0, which is also provided Ywith a hinged bottom, P, and hook-catches b bf, on one of which isanfarm, s, and roller t,

so that. when the caris moved ont on the track 'by the action ot' thechain or rope q, yconnected kwith it, to 'an y desired compartment ofthe mud-seow,wlien a movable cam, u, on the tim- 4ber 1U trips thecate-hes Zi b and drops the contents into the mud-scow B.

rlhe rope or chain .11 passes around the rollers r1" on the ear-frame N,and back bythe side of thcy elevator-'frame D to the drivingpulleys in',which are so arranged on the frame M vlil as to be thrown into gear orbe driven by friction from a wheel on the driving-shaft L,

so that by the holding up of ihe.-hand-levern the ear 01s moved in onedirection, and reversed by holding the lever down, andwhen midway theour is stopped in such apost-ion as to receivel another load 'from thelscoop G. When the car Oretnrns, the bottom l1 closed npby the action ol'the roller` Q, on the frame N. As the mnd-soon li isbeing depressed bythc weight of the substance deposited on it, the trucktrame N isprovided at the corners with four upright posts er timbers, it houthetops On the long timbers Nv of whichvarc racks r r' and pinions o o,with ratchet-wheels and pawl-levers w w, which op` erate both ways, soas to either raise the tinibers R or force them down on the-top orcrosstimbers of the mud-scow B, by which means the rail and car-frameare supported firmly and the dredging-machine and the mud-scow areing-machine', itl can' be'floated away for .disposing of its contentsand another mud-scow put in its place, so that the work of dredging neednot bes'uspended any longer than the time of vchanging the loaded scowfor an empty one.

rlhe mud-scows are constructed in such a manner as to be easily unloadedor discharged of their contents, they being made with a water-tighthull, S, for buoyancy, and two Linclined decks, T T, which form thebottom of the boxes 7 to receive the mud from the car, as shown in thesectional end view of Fig. 4, each compartment being provided on bothsides with hinged doors 'W W and sliding bolts V'V, which are soarranged and connected together by arms ir x on rock-shafts X X abovethe top edgesA of the seow that the bolts are all drawn at once and thedoors opened by the action of a single lever, Y,and connecting-rods y 1/at one end of the scow, and by the reverse motion ofthe lever Y thedoors W are all closed and thc bolts 'V shoved into the staples e z z,'whereby `they are all. at once firmly secured.

Vhen the mud-scow l 3 is placed in the proper position and secured tothe dredgiiig-machine A, all ready for operation, the grouser-boats Aand A, as seen in Figs. 5 and (i, are connected together by a frame-workof timbers, 3', they being made firm and stiit'by any desired numberotbraees and co1u1terbraces,l) l),as shown on the plan or top view ofthe ligure on plate ll. The string-pieces or parallel longitudinaltimbers B B may be spliced together, so as to g'et any desired lengthand distance for-the dredging-machine to perform a section of its work,the grouser-boats A A being made with two or more water-tightcompartments, with a longitudinalvertical space lil E eentrally from oneend to the other, it having a series-oi' double grooves, e c', atintervals corresponding with the width ot' the channels to be cutby thescoops@` ot' the dredging-naachine. 1 In the grooves c c e pieces ofplank ff are fitted, so that they can be easily put in or taken out. Thespaces between the sides ofthe opening F and the two planksj" j. i'ormasquare box or mortise, in which the grouscrs H lil are held and forceddowninto the earth or drawn np again by the application ot' mechanicalpower constructed andarranged as shown in the broken-ont section-of Fig.5, .o rits equivalent. XYhen the grenswboats and'irame are floated tothe place and aregot .into aproper iestion, and thegrousers H' H er@firmly-'driven br set-,pso that the frame-work is anchored fast,-thedredging#- machine is then placed at one end,.the .chain orcable Gfputin qennectionwith'one of the' gang' of 'pulleysontheend of lthe 'maindriving-shaft K on the outside of the boat A, and the required amount ofpower is applied to meve'it bythe action vof the friction-roller L onthe fulcrum end of the lever I and re tained by the rack J so that y thedredging-'1: machineis moved along bythe side of the frame* B Bl in adirect lineas fast as the substance is removed to allow it to progress.Vhen one channel has been cut at any required or the proper depth, it isonly-necessary .to drawthe planks ff, leaving the 'grouse-rs H H stand*ing irmly iu their fixed position, and iioatth grouser-boats andframe-work back one seotion, and put inthe-planks f j to another set ofthe grooves e e', and then bring the dredging-.machine back to the:(irst starting-point@ Again connect the Vfeeding chain or cable G andproceed to cut, elevate, and earry oii an-` otherv course of mud orearth, and so continue" to work them, so thatdouble ,erv treble the'.Width may be dredged at one and 'the same time. I Vhcn a section hasbeen dredged the length .of the grouser-boats andthe framework whichconnects them together, and the work oompletedihe required depth andwidth, thel grousersgire raised and thevhoats and frame; are movedanother section, where they arev secured in the same'. mannen, and soonfor or 'any required distance, so that a 'perfectly clean. and uniformdepth and Width 0f chaunei ist. made. in much less tinfrel and expense:than it can be done by anylother mode or proeessiknownor'used. l

Having thus fully' described my improveinent in dredging-machines,mud-scows, and grei'iserehoats',y andA themode of connecting .the

same, andthe process of' operation., what I claim as my. invention,anddesire to secu-re by Lettersy Patentxis 1. The arrangement of thesliding frame E,

withgits elevators G G and hook-prongs i' 'i fi, substantially as hereindescribed. i

'2. The adjustable; sliding fra-me E, in combieilatiou with therail-track frame N, for the raising and disposingof the mud, earth, orgravel, as herein speciiiedj 3. Thec'onstruction andarrangement of thegrouser-boats A A', ,with their-platiorm-connections, in'combination;with a dredge-boat orfsoow, substantially asset forth.' I,4. Thel inode, by which the dredgiug-sow A is moved forward and,l guidedwhile in 'the act of operation, substantially as set forth.

-5, ,The construction and arrangement ofthe car-track P P, .with itsadjustable supportinglegs R R, in combination' with the mud oreartlrreiro-ving vessel B, as herein described, for the purposes setforth.

JOHN DU BOIS. Witnesses:

.T1 B. WOODRUFF,I Gao.- Q. GREEN;

In testimony whereof -I hereuutosubscribe my name In the presence ofwitnesses.'

